Professor Mahmud Yakubu, new INEC chairman
National Electoral Commission, INEC, alongside national commissioners.
The group’s president, Emmanuel Okoro, who described the appointees as “credible and competent individuals”, said with the appointments, Mr. Buhari had demonstrated that he was a statesman devoid of primordial sentiments.
“On this occasion, Mr. President has shown his commitment to allow the electoral umpire to be run by competent and capable hands.
“After the good work of Prof. Attahiru Jega, the onus was on President Buhari to make sure only the best hands are appointed to run INEC.
“His recent appointment of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the Federal Commissioners confirmed his readiness for electoral reforms,” he said.
He said Mr. Buhari’s appointments at INEC conformed with the views the association presented in a position paper to the House of Representatives in 2012 on the review of the 1999 Constitution and other election-related matters in the country.
In a Memorandum to the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference in 2014 on how INEC should be constituted, Mr. Okoro said ANAPIN had made a presentation to the House of Representatives on the review of the 1999 Constitution in 2012.
During the 2015 general elections, Mr. Okoro said the association had, through some of its professionals who were serving as United Nations Certified Monitors and Observers, proffered some suggestions on how to ensure free, fair, credible and safe elections in Nigeria.
Mr. Okoro said ANAPIN, made up of Nigerian professionals who studied in the United States, had continued to remain a foremost driver of national developmental imperatives, especially in the area of youth empowerment and job creation, in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.
On the appointment of Muhammed Lecky as one of the INEC Commissioners to represent the South-South Zone, ANAPIN said President Buhari had placed round pegs in round holes.
“Dr. Lecky is a man with unimpeachable character and world-class academic pedigree, with PhD from the University of California, Berkely and Post-Doctoral MacArthur Foundation Fellow at the Harvard University School of Public Health.
Dr. Lecky has a passion for everything he does as exemplified by his successful drive to have the National Health Bill passed into law, a feat that took many years, while also serving as a Senior Strategic Adviser to Canada International Development and Research Center (IDRC),” the ANAPIN president stated.
“The road to free, fair, peaceful and credible elections begins with the appointment of competent, credible, fair-minded and patriotic professionals as officials in INEC,” Mr. Okoro noted.
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